You may be able to hide the fact that you're not flossing consistently from your dentist for a while, but she will eventually be able to tell.
The more interesting question is, why aren't you flossing?
Especially if you start flossing regularly again about a week before your appointment, your dentist or hygienist may not notice that you're not flossing regularly.
In addition, just being young, healthy, and having a nutritious diet (all of which affect your gum health) will also decrease the outward signs poor oral hygiene for a time.
But this won't last forever!
It's just like if stopped consistently exercising and eating a healthy diet; the negative effects would not be outwardly obvious at first. You would continue to look, and maybe even feel, just about the same as before for some time. But as you probably know, these lifestyle changes would catch up with you eventually. The same goes for not flossing.
The foundation of good oral health is prevention and maintenance — not treatment. Making good oral hygiene a part of your daily routine will prevent problems from developing in the first place.
What will happen if I don't floss enough?
When you don't floss regularly, food debris can stay stuck between your teeth for longer periods of time. This, in turn, allows bacteria to colonize in those tight spaces, which eventually leads to tooth decay.
Once this starts to happen, your dentist will certainly be able to tell that you haven't been flossing.
In the end, we’ll leave you with these questions: Why are you trying to fool your dentist into thinking you’re flossing regularly when you’re not? What's the point? Why not just floss regularly instead? it only takes a few minutes a day, and the benefits are enormous!